Introduction

On November 18, 2008, President-Elect Barack Obama delivered a speech to a bipartisan governor’s group, offering the broad outlines of a new national energy security strategy. The goal of the strategy was threefold: improve the nation’s security by reducing dependence on foreign oil; “[save] the planet” through a “clean energy future;” and rebuild the economy through “green jobs” creation. He defined a specific measure of success in reaching this goal: a 15 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and an 80 percent reduction by 2050. The President Elect’s plan for accomplishing such reductions centered on promoting innovation, public-private and intergovernmental partnerships, and international cooperation. He even mentioned a few specific programs: a federal cap and trade system, a $15 billion annual government investment in solar, wind, next generation biofuels, nuclear, and clean coal, and “vigorous” participation in international negotiations.

There is no question that this strategic vision must be more clearly defined in the coming weeks, months, and years in order for it to guide the nation. There are, for example, implicit elements of the strategy that need refinement (i.e., such steep short-term emissions reductions will require increasing the energy efficiency of the economy and improving conservation habits of Americans). There are areas the President-Elect did not mention on November 18th that he did talk about on the campaign trail, such as the physical vulnerability of the energy supply system and the need to improve the nation’s response to short-term energy supply or price crises. There has been one theme underlying all of his proposals, however, on the campaign trail and in the transition, and that is the important role the federal government has to play in achieving national energy security.

But is the federal government up to the task? The Center for a New American Security, in collaboration with the Markle Foundation, has been seeking to answer that question by “mapping” the U.S. government’s current capabilities to make and execute energy security policy (CNAS defines energy security as energy supplies that are sufficient to promote economic growth near and long-term – so they must be geopolitically reliable, environmentally sustainable, and physically secure). In a related effort, a team at the University of Texas (Austin) has been looking at private sector and NGO views of government capabilities.

The CNAS team collected information on the stated missions of the most relevant government agencies and offices, interviewed individuals working in a number of those offices, and held a workshop on November 24th with individuals from Congress, nine agencies, and others from the private sector with expertise in organizational reform. This draft, preliminary paper offers findings about the U.S. government’s energy security capabilities as they are today and offers recommendations for changes the President-Elect and his team may wish to consider.

The initial findings suggest that there are three missing ingredients for a successful energy security policy: a national strategy, executive leadership, and consistent, strong coordination across agencies, Congress, and key sectors of the economy. In this paper, therefore, we focus on the need for a national energy security strategy, a focal point in the Executive Office of the President, and a way to enhance the coordination of the federal agencies in order to support the new president’s vision of transformation.